


The Heart of Andromeda

by drunkraiinbow



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Superman - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Alternate Universe - Space, Angst, Asexuality, Finding Love, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Idiots in Love, Jellyfish Clark, Krypton, Loneliness, M/M, Magic, Magical Creatures, Outer Space, Platonic Romance, Sirens in Space, Space Siren Bruce, Space mermaids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-29
Updated: 2019-07-29
Packaged: 2020-07-11 11:53:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19927651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drunkraiinbow/pseuds/drunkraiinbow
Summary: Bruce, a siren older than time itself, is lost,  wandering around the universe with their purpose long accomplished but no light in their life anymore. That is until the call of a lonely creature brings them to Krypton, a once beautiful but now dead planet, and its only survivor. Kal-El, a jellyfish who wants nothing more than to die.





	The Heart of Andromeda

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GavotteAndGigue](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GavotteAndGigue/gifts).



> For the Superbat Week 2019 Day 5 - Mer AU. 
> 
> This fanfic goes to my wonderful friend Gav for always being with me. You've lost your fish and I just had to write you something. Hope you enjoy it, love!
> 
> Beta-read by the amazing GraySonOfGotham and sealions.

A long, long time ago, before the young planets started circling around their suns and even before the first stars were born and began to illuminate the infinite void with their shining light, a group of tremendous, mythical creatures called the darkness their home. 

Each of them was individual, some with shimmering tails in a sheer endless variety, others with tentacles, fins, or nettles. They had no gender, no sexuality, but a love so pure and immortal, that nothing could separate mates.

None of them resembled the other. But all of them held magic in their hearts and their bodies, giving them the ability to shine their inner light to the outer and illuminating their gorgeous shapes.

Their bodies, so the elders told the younger generation, were made out of the void itself and shaped to beautiful vessels for their souls, which were waiting in the scales of the High Priestess’ tail. She was not entirely present in the darkness surrounding them, more an essence that gifted them with a life and a purpose.

And, when a black-haired siren opened their crystal blue eyes for the first time in front of the High Priestess, she knew it was time to send them out, finally, to build their universe.

The swarm was sent away and the space creatures parted ways, some earlier than others, to find their respective sectors of the void they were supposed to design with the magic given them. They were architects and have waited for a millennium to fulfil their faith.

A newborn siren was one of the last of the group that reached their sector. After bidding farewell, they began their own lonely journey through the void and were quick to arrive at the center of the sector.

For a while, they floated motionless amidst the dark. Their eyes wandering around in awe as the lights flickered on in the far distance and the first suns were born by the hands of their siblings, far away and still so near.

With a strong kick of their majestic caudal fin, the mer brought themself into position and raised their arms. Wing-like fins, appearing almost transparent ran down their muscular limbs, from shoulders to wrists, and spread excitedly when the magic was floating around them. Even the delicate dorsal fins on the back of their fluorescent tail fluttered in the crackling flow.

Glowing eyes illuminated the void around the mystical creature and they began to form the first star out of nothing, the very first light in their sector, softly holding the flickering glamour between their hands until it was strong enough to be released. To the siren, it was warm and loving, a manifestation of their own magic.

Slowly, one by one, the stars were made and placed at their spots where they would grow and shine brighter than ever. Incessantly, the young siren followed the plan in their mind and created the stars that started to form two strong, long arms that spiraled around each other, ending in an ellipse.

When it was finally finished, the siren had to swim for a long time to get back to the center. The small star was still there, just waiting for another touch of the magic making it grow into a supermassive black hole, forming the heart of the big galaxy.

Following the secret plan in their head, the siren crafted colorful nebulas amidst the stars, wandering asteroid fields and bright star clusters that could even be seen in other sectors of the void. It was not a learned skill, it was an intuition born with them, sleeping but slowly awakening as it was needed.

Several solar systems came last and brought the most fun for the siren. A small sun formed the center of each system. Planets of different sizes and appearances orbited their respective suns and the siren took great care in painting the celestial bodies and shaping their characteristics that would allow different species to live on it.

Some planets were entirely made of cold gas while others had a solid surface or core. Mountains were rising and tales were forming, either dry and dusty or wet from all the liquid the planet was harbouring. Sometimes, the siren would let their fantasy free reign and conceive complex areas with divine plants and small lakes.

And for some of those celestial bodies, they created moons to orbit them.

Finally looking up from their work, the siren decided it was finished. Everything was set for the different species that would develop in the following centuries. It was nothing the siren could accelerate, no matter how powerful their magic was.

With a smile, they turned around, taking in the lights, colors and shapes around them. In the distance, far, far away other galaxies were waiting, nothing more than a soft light for the siren.

Proud of their work, the siren laid down the role of an architect and started to swim. The next purpose was waiting for them; they had to watch over the creation in their sector and keep it alive. They had to protect and defend the wonderful species that were starting to arise.

Their journey had just begun.

* * *

Over the following millennia, the siren had quite a few names given by the different species on the planets they had created. Stories were told by people who thought they had seen the siren on their planet or up in the sky. After time had passed those stories became beloved tales.

The intelligent beings used to worship the siren and pray to them, hoping for help and guidance. They cried out to their gods and leaders and the siren would smile about their simplicity whenever the species painted them as one of their kind.

Occasionally, the siren fulfilled their wishes. Other times, they didn’t. Their purpose was to care for the life in their sector, not to harm it. And so they simply watched the different beings grow and die, learn and forget, love and murder.

And with every lost species and every killed planet, they became more disenchanted about the High Priestess and their purpose. Why would a loving mother send her children away and separate them from each other so that they would never meet again?

In the shadows of a recent war and with a heavy heart, they decided to swim away and never, ever stop again for any species, no matter how promising it might seem.

In the end, all life was doomed to fail.

* * *

Another thousand of years passed, the siren continued to float through the void, slowly following the long spiral arm of the galaxy they were in. It was an endless voyage that wouldn’t stop at the end of their sector. The void was infinite. And the siren didn’t care for their purpose anymore; they didn’t care about others finding out about their rebellion.

No longer following the High Priestess’ whims, the siren had adopted quite a few traditions from other species. Their strong, black tail, whose scales shimmered in a soft blue when light reflected on them, was decorated with lost items from long lost worlds. Different kinds of small rocks, dry plants, nets, corals, shells and even a crystal from Atlantis.

Their black hair, that followed the flow of their movements, had a few gems braided into the thick mane. They sparkled in different colors, perfectly fitting the bright blue eyes of the siren, which seemed to hold their own galaxies in them.

After all this time, the siren had given themself a name. A masculine one, fitting their broad, muscular upper body and sharp facial features, and though their were genderless, they were fond of it.

 _Bruce_.

Bruce was no longer a keeper. Bruce was a lone wanderer slowly reaching the end of their galaxy and everything they were once proud of. But, how could they love their creation any longer when every living being desired nothing more than slaughter and destruction?

Bruce didn't know where his destination was. The spiral arm of the galaxy was slowly reaching its end and didn't leave many options for them to choose from.

They could turn around and swim in the other direction to follow the second arm of stars and solar systems, or they could carry on and cross the invisible border to another sector. It wasn't strictly prohibited, but the High Priestess had not said it was allowed either. Bruce shouldn't care for the rules anymore, they had broken almost every single one of them, but they still hesitated.

It was one thing to put down their work and leave the species alone to kill themselves. It was another to disappear from the sector they were assigned to. What would they say when another space mer found them outside of their sector? Bon voyage? Bruce wasn't sure, but they found it highly unlikely.

With an annoyed groan, the siren kicked stronger with their tail and corrected their course to avoid the atmosphere of another dead planet. The surface was dark overall and thick, black clouds were hiding bigger parts of the landscape. Bruce couldn't even tell anymore which planet he had in front of him. What had once been a magnificent world painted in vibrant colors was now a characteristicless globe.

While the potentially toxic chemicals in the air couldn't harm the siren who had no lungs, the gravitational force would work until the celestial object would either implode, or depending on the cause of the destruction, explode. It would cost them a lot more power to withstand the gravity and stay on course than correcting it and evading the planet.

Bruce kept their eyes on a distant star and passed the lost world, ready to leave it behind them when a quiet voice reached them and they froze. Their eyes widened, their fins flared, showing their wariness, and their fingers formed fists.

It took a few seconds for Bruce to adjust to the foreign language, waiting until they could understand the sung words. When their meaning finally got to them, their heart stopped beating for a moment and they hovered over the world, sad and deeply affected by the prayer.

Someone… someone was calling for them. After all this time that they had stopped listening to their creatures, someone was crying out to Bruce for help, voice heavy with despair and grief. Bruce's heart clenched listening to the hopeless call and the silent plea between the lines.

The creature asked them for permission to die.

Without thinking, the siren rushed towards the planet and breached through the different spheres surrounding the world. They followed the melodious voice and their song right into the atmosphere of the planet, tail kicking fast to speed up more. It didn’t take Bruce much effort to float through the thick air, heavy with toxins and those black clouds they had seen from outer space.

A strange feeling of a déjà vu overcame Bruce when he turned around and let his gaze wander over the destroyed landscape, the grey plants that were either burned or rotten in the sour rain that was falling from time to time. Nothing seemed able to fly, walk or crawl on the poisoning planet anymore.

The ocean that surrounded the only continent of the dead world was red from all the blood of its species. Masses of bodies swimming in the water, some simply murdered while other corpses were mutilated.

Bruce had to close their eyes and look away from all the cruelty this species had come up with. Bodies of children were adrift in the red ocean, slowly dissolving in the caustic liquid that had once been their home. And after another glance at the bodies, Bruce hurried away and sped through the air to catch up with the voice.

They knew what they had found. They remembered the planet called Krypton, and the magic it had held in a solar system at the very end of the galaxy. The species that had lived on this planet, made from one of their own scales, just as the High Priestess had told them. It was the only species Bruce had shaped themself, the only species that had been planned to exist.

Mers.

With shimmering tails, tentacles, fins, nettles and in every form the ocean would bring them. A perfect reflection of the space creatures, who had created the universe and all the worlds within. Kind, compassionate, loving. Not even they could have been saved by Bruce, who was no god, but just a silent watcher.

Now, Krypton was destroyed beyond repair. All the vibrant colors were gone when the magic had left the world and took all life with it. Even Bruce’s magic couldn’t bring them back to life. The mers were dead. Inevitably. 

Bruce felt like crying. They forced themself to stay calm and follow the voice until they reached the small pond under a few sad trunks of once proud trees. They slowed down and stopped behind the trunks, looking around them at the grey, but at least not red, water not wanting to get the mer’s attention just yet.

Between scrap metal and military weapons laid the poor creature, halfway in the water, but their upper body, that looked a lot like Bruce’s, was outspread on the dusty ground, presenting the broad shoulders and a muscular, tanned back. A breathing mask was covering their face, their eyes were closed.

Squinting, Bruce could see the semi-transparent bell at the waist of the mer and frilly, delicate, lace-like arms drifting in the stale liquid. They recognized the unique form immediately, heart rate speeding up.

A jellyfish.

Bruce’s favourite mer.

Their heart clenched again and before they could react, their tail started to move and the siren found themself a few miles away, arms and fins wrapped around their own body, while the first tears they would ever cry were streaming down their sharp cheekbones.

How could their High Priestess, their mother have let this happen?

How… How could Bruce have let this happen? 

* * *

The sun threatened to set behind a distant mountain range when Bruce approached the exhausted mer again. They didn't hide behind the dead tree this time, floating down to the half asleep jellyfish instead. Their shadow fell over the covered face and the last rays of sunshine reflected in the crystal from Atlantis around his neck, blinding the jellyfish.

Before Bruce could close their first around the necklace, the tired eyes opened and blinked before the mer froze and abruptly raised their head, staring up at Bruce with two gorgeous black eyes; no white in them, made for an excellent sight in the deep sea. The void had once looked the same, with no stars enlightening it, but filled with a strange warmth.

"Rao! You scared me!" the jellyfish panted and pulled the oxygen mask off their face. It had muffled the melodious voice Bruce had been following. "Are you hurt? How did you– how did you survive? Where are the others?"

The creature looked around and their eyes searched the area for more sirens swimming through the air, but there were none. Bruce saw the excitement wash away when they stayed alone and the realisation hit the jellyfish. No others were coming. They were alone.

"Oh. I see."

Bruce was about to say something, anything, but something was off. When they tried to speak, no words were leaving their mouth. The siren stayed silent like a fish while their lips moved. Scanning their own body, Bruce tried to locate the malfunction to fix it with magic. And then it hit them.

No vocal cords.

Fuck.

"You're not real, are you?" The jellyfish was already babbling again and rubbed their black eyes. "Just a hallucination. The toxins must've gotten me, too. I should've known, I’ve never seen a flying merman before."

_I am real. I am here because you called me._

Bruce could hear the words in their mind forming and wished they could scream them out loud to stop the jellyfish. They should be able to talk to the species in their sector as they were able to understand them. The High Priestess had designed them to learn and adapt. Whatever she created in the void was saved in Bruce's memory and simply needed to be awaken. But apparently, talking wasn't one of their sleeping skills.

"But at least you're a beautiful hallucination, almost like an angel with your fins. I bet they look like wings when you spread your arms. Spread them for me, will you?"

Yeah, no. Bruce rolled their eyes at the confused jellyfish. There was no way they were showing cheap circus tricks. Hallucination or not, Bruce had a certain pride. With a twitch of their tail, the translucent caudal fin hit the jellyfish in the face.

The creature shrieked and pressed their hands of their mouth, staring at Bruce with wide eyes. A hint of fear could be seen in the black eyes, quickly drowning in shy curiosity.

"You're– you're real?"

The jellyfish's voice was nothing more than a whisper, and Bruce felt a dull stab to their heart, floating deeper until they almost laid on the dry ground in front of the mer, hovering a few inches above the warm sand. The pond had a strong smell of rotten fish to it and seeing the creature being stuck in it was heartbreaking.

Bruce finally nodded.

"Oh! I'm sorry for assuming you were a hallucination then!" The jellyfish almost stumbled over their own tongue. "But you're not from here, are you? I have never heard of your species before!"

Having a much better view of the gorgeous face, Bruce noticed a few freckles on the sun kissed skin. Even though the siren couldn't see any white in the big eyes, they seemed puffy and red and Bruce recalled the mer crying earlier.

They tried to smile at the jellyfish and raised a hand to point at the sky, telling that they were not from this world. And the jellyfish squinted at Bruce in confusion.

"What do you want to tell me? You can't talk?"

Bruce shook their head and raised a hand to stroke over their throat, lips twitching in annoyance.

"At least you understand me. That's something," the jellyfish concluded and gave Bruce a soft smile. "You're not from here, right? You're not from this planet."

When Bruce nodded again, the other's eyes widened again in awe, gaze wandering to the violet sky and one of Krypton's seven moons that were currently wandering over the firmament above them. It took a few moments until the soft voice broke through the silence again.

"Let's introduce ourselves then, shall we? My name is Kal-El. My chosen gender is male, though I was born genderless. What's your name?"

It felt as if the jellyfish, Kal-El, couldn't stop talking anymore now that he had found another living being which kept him from thinking about his lost situation. And Bruce was happy to distract the last mer of Krypton.

After a few seconds of silence, Bruce decided it would be the easiest to simply speak their name slowly and clearly, hoping that Kal-El would understand lip reading. Speaking a language didn't mean they knew which alphabet the mers used, and they assumed Kal-El would not keep a book with him in the pond.

Kal-El observed their lip movements and frowned, mimicking them after a few more repetitions until he tried to guess the name though it wasn't Kryptonian.

"Byu– no… Byus? B– Bruce?"

Bruce smiled.

"That's a beautiful name. I've never heard of it, but I like it. It suits you well."

He brought a hand to his heart and bowed his head politely, while his other hand was pressed against the sand to keep his upper body in an upright position.

"It's nice to meet you, Bruce."

Then he sank back into the water and hissed when the grey liquid touched the tanned skin of his upper body and the delicate tentacles breached through the surface, desperately squirming. The smile disappeared from his face.

In an instant, Bruce was by his side and let their gaze wander over the jellyfish in the water. It was clear that Kal-El was in pain and it certainly wasn't the best idea to get back into the strange water, but Bruce also understood that he had to stay hydrated.

Only hesitating for a brief moment, Bruce leaned down to touch the surface to analyse it. Acid had leaked into the water and poisoned it, harming the mer constantly and steadily. They had to act now before it would be too late.

With little effort, the siren’s eyes began to glow faintly as their magic started cleaning the water of the pond, the grey color fading away until it was clear again. Another piece of their magic circled around the jellyfish and healed the irritated and damaged skin. It wasn’t much, and Bruce would certainly not be able to heal the whole planet, but it was something.

When they raised their gaze again to meet Kal-El’s, the jellyfish was staring at them in wonder as if he had never seen magic working before. And that may be right; Bruce had observed that the younger generation tend to forget the old traditions, no matter how powerful they once had been.

Bruce blushed lightly, just for a second. They had not wanted to show off, but it felt just like that.

“Yeah, you’re not from my world,” Kal-El mumbled to himself and shook his head for a moment before he slid into the water and disappeared under the surface for a moment, wetting his short hair.

Bruce snorted. Well, that had been obvious since the beginning. The delusional jellyfish had simply not paid enough attention. And now that they had gotten past the awkward start, they felt brave enough to ask about the planet. Krypton had been their greatest creation, always close to their heart.

As soon as Kal-El breached the water again and smiled up at Bruce, the siren floated down and joined him in the pond. It was deep enough to swim upright and not brush the ground. And it was rather cold, even though Bruce didn’t really feel the temperature changes around them.

Kal-El looked as if he was going to rant again, but Bruce shushed him softly by raising their hand to their lips. Then they turned around and made a wide gesture over to the dead forests and the red ocean, the grey and rotten world and Kal-El’s face fell, lip quivering.

“You– you want to know what’s happened, right?” Kal-El asked quietly and waited for Bruce to nod before he bit on his lower lip hard. “I wish I could just… rewind the last few years and try to save everything.”

He took a shaky breath and laughed, bitter and without joy, the oncoming tears almost audible.

“War happened. It’s always war. We had managed to live in peace for almost a thousand years and in the end, we fought over this stupid island of a continent not one of us could ever inhabit… because we’re simply not made for land. It started between two clans, but others joined, took party and– you can see how it ended.”

A single tear rolled down Kal-El’s cheek and fell in his hand, turning into a wonderful pearl. Bruce followed its path with their gaze and blinked at the sight of the small object, torn between admiring and hating it. The mer’s pain shouldn’t be that beautiful and yet, it was a flawless pearl.

“You can have it. Take it with you. A little reminder of me after you leave.”

Bruce felt the careful touch of Kal-El’s fingers when he places the pearl in their hands. It took them a moment to process the spoken words. A reminder. After they would leave. A reminder of Kal-El for the time when he was gone and Bruce far, far away.

“Though you probably already have a lot of them.”

Kal-El expected Bruce to leave him. So that he would die alone.

 _No_.

_No._

_No._

With a sharp movement, Bruce grabbed Kal-El’s wrists vigorously, a storm forming in their eyes while they stared at the gorgeous black eyes opposite them.

 _“I am not going to leave you here,”_ they screamed and suddenly their mind exploded into a thousand pieces, ripped apart by the memories of someone else.

Kal-El.

All they could see was suffering and pain, fire, explosions, acid on raw skin and poison in the air. Crimson waterfalls, metallic-tasting water and dead bodies. Everywhere. Dead. Bodies. Young people, old people, couples, children, eggs. Nothing would ever live on Krypton again. They had taken care of that.

Only absently, Bruce could hear Kal-El’s fearful cries, the jellyfish’s mind filled with the millennia of creating and observing and leaving, not able to understand much more than their meaning for his species.

“Rao! You’re– you’re Rao!”

* * *

The sun had already disappeared behind the horizon when Bruce managed to leave the cave he had been hiding in for the past hours and float back to Kal-El. Soft guilt was gnawing at their conscience for leaving Kal-El alone with the overwhelming memories Bruce's touch had transmitted.

The reaction had been overpowering. Even Bruce themself had needed time to calm down and sort through all the foreign impressions, and yet they could still see the horrible war raging, could still feel Kal-El's anger and sadness and fear. His loneliness reminding Bruce of themself.

Kal-El was still swimming upright in the middle of the pond, eyes wandering around in search of the siren. He didn't seem to be angry or upset, but concerned and Bruce felt a soft pull in their heart. Nobody had ever been concerned for them. It was a nice feeling.

They were greeted with a bright smile as soon as Kal-El caught sight of the siren and raised his hands, waving happily at them.

"You came back! I was worried you would leave," he said sheepishly and louder than usual, obviously nervous about Bruce's return.

Bruce nodded with a tiny smile and reached the water, dipping his tail into the cold liquid to hover on the opposite of the jellyfish and meet his gaze. Tilting his head, Bruce offered their hand and raised their brows observantly for him to take it.

The jellyfish hesitated for a brief moment but wrapped his fingers around it, lips pressed together in await of another explosion of his mind. When nothing came, he began to relax.

Carefully, Bruce began to form the first words in their head, staring into the dark eyes of Kal-El. It should work that way, at least they hoped it would. But some skills just needed to be awakened in one or the other way. And they had never directly spoken to the High Priestess, Bruce remembered. They had always used their thoughts.

_“I apologize for earlier. It was a bit much to process, for both of us.”_

A soft gasp from Kal-El confirmed Bruce what they had suspected, and the siren smiled at the jellyfish, satisfied.

 _“It works then. Very good,”_ they added and tightened their grip when Kal-El wanted to pull back. _“I’m not going to hurt you. Don’t be afraid.”_

“Wha– who the fuck are you!?” Kal-El almost shouted and paled as soon as he seemed to realize it. “I didn’t want–”

 _“Stop right there. You can speak openly, I’m not judging your language. And I owe you an explanation after all,”_ Bruce interrupted softly and loosened their grip around Kal-El’s wrist to emphasize their words. Scaring the jellyfish was the last thing Bruce wanted.

For a moment, Kal-El seemed to be torn between staying and running, but then he nodded slowly and let the tension fall from his body.

“I’m listening.”

Not needing anything more, Bruce focused on the first memories they had; opening their eyes for the first time and blinking up at their High Priestess. They began to explain what they could put into words.

Kal-El stared at the pictures flashing through his mind, listened to the many names Bruce had gotten by thousands of species and watched the millennia passing by, saw the sadness and frustration the siren was carrying around with them after all those years of war and destruction.

Bruce felt his intelligence, his ability to understand that Bruce was his god, Rao, but also not much more than an obedient subject following the plans of a greater force. They shared the same pain, the same loneliness. They were both alone and lost, separated from their siblings and isolated from every form of love.

When they fell silent, it was already night, their faces illuminated by the dull light of five of the seven moons, rapidly wandering over the firmament. Bruce smiled at Kal-El, who was staring at Bruce with wide eyes, mouth hanging open in awe. It took him a moment to collect himself, but then he took Bruce’s hands in his, pressing them softly.

He cleared his throat.

“So basically, you’re a space siren?” Kal-El suggested while tilting his head, looking at them expectantly. “That’s super cool, don’t get me wrong. But it’s not really intimidating, especially not when you’re supposed to be Rao. You look rather… cute.”

Bruce gave him an annoyed look in return and stayed silent, not believing that Kal-El had called the cause of his existence _cute_ , but the jellyfish just grinned at them knowingly.

_“You’re really trying to get rid off me.”_

The moment the words popped up in their mind, Bruce already regret them. They could see the smile dropping from Kal-El’s face as the jellyfish pulled back and managed to float away, staring at Bruce with hurt in the black orbs and Bruce’s heart clenched again because it shouldn’t have sounded like that.

They stared into each other’s eyes for a long moment, Bruce unable to talk without the touch, and Kal-El unwilling to get closer again. It was nerve-wracking, watching Kal-El struggle with the tears, finally losing the battle. With every pearl dropping from his cheeks into the water, Bruce flinched more.

“I really thought– I mean, y-you cannot–” Kal-El tried to explain between the sobs, recoiling more when Bruce wanted to get closer. “I have lost everything! And you’re h-here, but for h-how long? You’re– You’re going to l-leave me!”

This time, Bruce was faster when they threw themself forward and caught Kal-El’s fingers, holding them tight. Kal-El tried to jerk his hand away, but Bruce was already wrapping their arm around Kal-El’s waist, pulling him to their chest.

_“I could never leave you alone.”_

Stroking the shivering body, Bruce tried to calm the jellyfish who was slowly leaning into the touch, forehead beginning to rest against their shoulder. Kal-El was exhausted, he must have been not eating for days now and breathing in the toxic air didn’t seem to be healthy either.

Bruce had been serious. They wouldn’t leave Kal-El on this planet to die, they would either find a way to take him to space or die with him. But Kal-El wouldn’t be alone. Bruce would never ignore their creation’s needs again. Not after seeing Kal-El suffer.

 _“Will you try to rest for a while?”_ Bruce asked quietly and became a slight nod back. _“I promise I’ll be here when you wake up again. I just need to search for a few items.”_

Kal-El was hesitating for a few moments but gave in eventually. Bruce felt the warm body sinking back into the pond, possibly choosing the clean water to breathe over the oxygen mask. Black eyes looked up to him for a second before they closed tiredly and the jellyfish floated deeper under the surface.

With a last gaze at the blurry figure, Bruce started to swim again. They had only a few hours to find the needed items and come back to Kal-El. And it was just a theory, nothing could tell them if it was going to work. But they had only this one chance. 

* * *

“What are you doing?”

_“Wait until I’m finished.”_

“But I want to know what your ultimate plan is?”

_“I’m not telling you.”_

“That’s not very mature coming from the oldest being of the universe.”

_“You will see it when it’s finished.”_

Kal-El was pouting since he had been back at the surface finding Bruce in a sitting position on the shore, in front of them a pile of junk and old metal, wires and shells. They had already been working on a necklace for themself, twisting and braiding a few wires together.

Having done quite a few necklaces and wristbands, Bruce was working quickly and soon, it was a beautiful collar with a big, black shell sitting in the middle, holding the pearl Kal-El had given them in a carefully crafted cage of gold wires.

Of course, the jellyfish had helped Bruce closing the new jewelry in his neck and had been impressed by their skills. But when Bruce started braiding the next wires, Kal-El began to question their glorious plan. Another necklace wasn’t exactly what they needed, he had said, but Bruce had ignored him.

Now, the necklace was almost finished. It was longer than Bruce’s to fit Kal-El’s neck without wrapping itself too tight around it, and the silver wire would match the translucent white of his bell. Another shell was sitting right in the middle, shielding a small cage.

It was still empty.

“I don’t think a necklace will save me, B.”

Bruce rolled their eyes and tried to ignore the amused comment of Kal-El again. Of course, a simple necklace wouldn't save him. It wouldn't save anyone's life. But a necklace carrying an item of great magic within could do the trick. Bruce just had to –

"Hold on, what are you doing?"

Opening their eyes, Bruce blinked at Kal-El and raised a brow in confusion, not understanding why the jellyfish had interrupted them searching for a loose scale at their tail. A hand was resting on their wrist to stop their movements.

_"I'm trying to get us off this planet."_

"Yeah, I understood that," Kal-El replied with a snort, his gaze lingering over the siren's long tail. "I was asking why you're touching your tail. You're not going to do something stupid I hope."

This time, it was Bruce's turn to snort and roll his eyes again. Everything they had done in the past millennia had been stupid, starting with swimming away from their purpose. And being stupid might be their only chance to let Kal-El breathe in space. Why would it matter now if it was stupid or not?

Bruce tried to stay calm and answer the question with honest though their thoughts felt like an exhausted sigh. It was strange to explain their actions. No-one had ever watched them creating or questioned the plan. But Bruce wasn't fulfilling the plan anymore. Maybe they should get used to it.

_"Giving you one of my scales should bring you my abilities to breathe and swim through space. You won't need water or food or oxygen anymore. The scale will provide you with everything you'll need. And even more."_

"And even more?" Kal-El was tilting his head now, staring at the shimmering scales in disbelief.

 _"Magic,"_ Bruce explained shortly. _"They are full of it."_

"You would… really give me one of your scales? Forever?" Kal-El whispered now and grabbed Bruce's wrist tighter. His lips were pressed together, forming a small line, and his fingers were shaking.

 _"I would,"_ Bruce said firmly and searched for Kal-El's gaze. _"For you."_

Considering their words, Kal-El bit his lower lip and blinked a few times, clearly lost in thoughts. And Bruce waited, fingers stroking over a thick scale they could rip out as soon as Kal-El was ready. It was a lot to understand within a few hours and the jellyfish did exceptionally well. Not many would have taken Bruce's existence that easily.

And it was a lot to accept, they were also aware of that. The siren's scale was powerful and nothing they would give just anyone. But Kal-El… Kal-El was worth the pain and the loss.

When Kal-El's eyes met Bruce's again, the siren was ready to pull on the scale and get it out of their tail, but Kal-El's question made no sense to them. Bruce frowned and tilted their head.

_"Excuse me?"_

"Would it also work on a fish," Kal-El repeated his question and smiled patiently.

_"A… fish."_

"Yes. A fish. It's an animal that has your tail, but is small and looks like a swimming rock I guess? It's striped, though. At least mine is."

_"You have a pet fish."_

"Of course I do," Kal-El said and he sounded offended. "His name is Stripe Cat. And he's quiet and doesn't need much attention. But he stayed with me all the time and– I just can't leave him here."

Bruce sighed and rubbed their fingers over the bridge of their nose. Technically, when they would push the scale directly into the fish's skin, it should connect to its body and stay there, giving it an endless life as well.

But they doubted a fish would need a whole scale. A touch of their magic should almost be enough to make the little guy invincible.

 _"Where is he?"_ Bruce asked with a tiny smile and stared down at the water, searching for any sign of the small pet.

Kal-El was already dipping his fingers into the pond and seconds later, a lone figure appeared next to him, swimming closely under the surface. He laughed when the fish brushed his hand.

The last time, Bruce had used magic was a long time ago. After all these years, one might think it would be difficult to call for it, but the tingling power was already streaming in their hands and Bruce almost laughed because they had missed it without knowing it.

With a small flick of their wrist, a bubble of water caught the fish and left the water, floating to Bruce. Stripe Cat was eyeing the siren suspiciously but stayed calm when Bruce raised their hand and tapped against the fish's forehead.

The bubble burst.

Stripe Cat was swimming through the air.

"You did it!"

Kal-El was beaming at Bruce and reached his hand out to stroke the happy fish. Bruce was smiling as well, quietly, and took the necklace from the ground, waving it at the jellyfish.

 _"Turn around,"_ they told him with a soft touch to his shoulder and waited until the mer was showing them his back, head falling forward to give them better access to his neck.

Bruce’s hands shook slightly while the siren was closing the jewelry around Kal-El's neck and they let their fingers linger over the sun-kissed skin a second longer than necessary. They exhaled slowly.

_"Done."_

Suddenly, having Kal-El's gaze on them felt much more intimate than before. The jellyfish was staring at Bruce's eyes, gaze dropping, wandering down their long body to their big tail and the wide fins until it rested on the fingers Bruce had pressed against the loose scale.

They were scared. Not because of what could happen to them, but what could happen to Kal-El. A siren's scale was more powerful than anything Kal-El had ever touched. Bruce wasn't entirely sure that the jellyfish could handle the magic in it. But he was too big and too complex to get a simple touch of magic. Kal-El needed this scale to survive.

A big palm was placed over Bruce's hand. Kal-El was smiling softly, cupping their shaking fingers. He was scared as well, Bruce could tell by looking into his wide eyes.

With a deep breath, Bruce pulled.

A sharp pain was suddenly erupting from the place the scale had been while the shimmering object fell into Bruce's palm. It was thick and blue and the magic was almost overflowing.

Bruce cursed quietly, pressing Kal-El's hand against the spot on their tail to suppress the pain and Kal-El was taking the hint, holding Bruce with concern.

"How are you feeling?"

 _"It hurts,"_ Bruce replied, almost laughing. They had never felt pain. _"But I will heal. I'm strong."_

The scale was more important now. Bruce leaned forward and took the small cage in his hand. Their scale fit perfectly into the tight space and after closing the holder, Bruce let the scale rest against Kal-El's skin.

Kal-El raised a brow, looking at the siren expectantly when a bright light was forming around the scale and encased/cloaked Kal-El entirely.

Bruce was staring at the brightness in shock, listening to the scared cries of the jellyfish he adored, wanting to rip the necklace off his neck again, but they couldn't move, couldn't twitch a single muscle in their body.

They were frozen in place, watching as the world around them seemed to explode. 

* * *

Bruce was back in space.

The corpse of Krypton on their back, they floated on the end of the galaxy, at the end of their sector. It was an invisible barrier only the siren could see and it wouldn't hold them back, but it was scary to think about leaving what had been their home for an entirety.

Closing their eyes for a moment, Bruce tried to concentrate on the memories of their siblings, trying to reach one of them with their minds. One of the other space creatures must be living in the sector right before them. Bruce waited.

Nothing.

Maybe their powers weren't strong enough yet. The cut where the scale had been was still healing and slowing them down. It was annoying but on the other hand–

"You're too fast!"

With a smirk, Bruce spun around and watched Kal-El floating towards him, hands wrapped around Stripe Cat, who was pretty much pulling him forward at this point. His movements were slow and yet desperate to get to Bruce in a space where no drift would push him forward.

It was adorable.

 _"Need a tail?"_ Bruce asked through the connection their scale had established and laughed when Kal-El pulled a face.

"You're not funny. Absolutely not funny," the jellyfish murmured.

Stripe Cat was doing his best to deliver the man at the border and crawled onto Kal-El's shoulder for a rest afterwards, closing his eyes in a mute pout. Kal-El smiled and gave his fish a gentle back rub.

Kal-El had changed through the scale. After the light had faded away and Bruce had believed to find the jellyfish, their friend, scattered in the shine, they had stared into a whole new universe captured in the black eyes of the man, filling every gaze with the brightness of the stars he held inside of his eyes. He was the most beautiful being Bruce had ever met.

 _"You know I don't mind helping you,"_ Bruce told Kal-El and kicked with their tail to prove their strength. _"I get to hold your hand."_

Kal-El blushed and blinked a few times before he held out his hand for Bruce to take it. The siren complied happily.

They had left Krypton a few days ago and Kal-El was still trying to figure out how a jellyfish was supposed to move in space. He had rejected the wind Bruce had offered to blow him forward and the drift that would carry him their way. With a little help of Stripe Cat and a lot of flapping, they had finally made it to the border.

Nothing was holding them back anymore. Not that anything ever had. It felt right to leave their sector and the lost worlds behind them and search for a new purpose, maybe even for other space mermaids. That's what Kal-El had said. And Bruce fully agreed.

"Are you nervous?" Kal-El asked softly and floated closer to Bruce. His tentacles wrapped around their tail.

 _"Not as long as you're with me,"_ Bruce said and smiled down at him. It felt right, so right to say that.

Kal-El's lips touched theirs, only for a short moment. But it was enough to feel the love in it, the silent promise.

 _Together_.

With a kick of their tail, Bruce swam over the border and took Kal-El with them.

Another sector spread right in front of them. A whole new world was waiting.

**Author's Note:**

> Talk to me on [tumblr.](https://drunkraiinbow.tumblr.com/)


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